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Douglas Guilbeault

Doctoral Student

"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

What makes Douglas Guilbeault come alive is the study of computational social science and its philosophical underpinnings, particularly with respect to mathematical biology and how it maps onto social systems. He is especially fascinated by social bots, which are programs that operate user accounts on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. He studies social bots in the Network Dynamics Group, where his advisor is Damon Centola.

Guilbeault thinks it is vital to see the science of living information as inseparable from actually 'living' information - i.e. from how we live our lives. He explores this perspective through music, poetry, photography, and philosophy, which he shares over his personal website: douglasguilbeault.com.

He holds an M.A. in cognitive linguistics from the University of British Columbia, where his advisor was Dr. Barbara Dancygier, and he holds a B.A. in philosophy, rhetoric, and cognitive science from the University of Waterloo, where his advisor was Dr. Randy Harris.

Guilbeault's research is funded through a Joseph-Armand Bombardier​, Ph.D. Scholarship from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada.